Second chances
by zippizappi
Summary: Unfortunately, we never got to see Caleb walking Hanna home after the fashion show in 2x06. This is my take on it. Two-shot
1. part I

**SECOND CHANCES  
**

* * *

" _I'm glad you came."_

" _Hey, what was that on stage?"_

" _I don't want to talk about it."_

" _Can I walk you home?"_

" _Wait for me?"_

 **oOOo**

Half an hour after the fashion show had ended, Caleb still stood outside waiting, leaning against the brick wall and watching the steady streams of his exhaled breath form into small clouds. They were slowly soaring up, vaporizing into the cold air of the night.

Just like his patience was on the verge of becoming nonexistent. Not just tonight, but in a general, overall matter.

His mind was filled with high hopes, but if those wouldn't be met tonight, he really didn't know what else he could do in order to win back Hanna's heart.

Scolding himself inwardly for the millionth time for being so stupid and agreeing to spy on a girl in exchange for money, he rubbed his hands against one another in order to keep them warm. It was January, and there he was outside in the cold, waiting for a girl to walk her home... and hoping to find out at last, what their stand was.

His relationship with Hanna was completely messed up. He was still hopelessly in love with her, willing to prove it to her every fucking day that she was treating him like any other guy in school. He knew it had been all his fault, betraying her trust and scheming against her. He would never do it again, he had learned his lesson.

And he had learned something else in this whole ordeal: this thing called love, it was no longer a dream — even for him. For a short period of time, he had experienced that feeling of loving a girl and having her love him back, even though she hadn't explicitly told him so. But he hadn't needed the words spelled out for him; her actions, her kisses... god, how he missed their kisses... had shown him that she had been feeling the same way about him. No one else in his life had ever made him feel that way. He would do whatever it took to gain back her trust and be able to kiss those lips again.

Yesterday, he had thought that they'd finally gotten back together again after she had kissed him so vigorously of her own accord. But this was today, and apparently, Hanna had either changed her mind about him yet again or she had gone through some sort of amnesiac state of mind. She hadn't answered any of his texts since that morning, had basically gone to great lengths at school to avoid him; he hadn't been able to talk to her all day and he was desperate for some confirmation that last night hadn't been a dream.

Standing outside in the cold and waiting for Hanna to leave the venue at last was a painful reminder of his unusual - and unfortunately too small - footwear. Caleb shortly condemned the black leather loafers that he had borrowed from Lucas for tonight in order for Hanna to be able to show him off.

But to his dismay, she had been ignoring him all evening. Eventually, he had gathered his courage and had searched for her backstage, finding her busy with her friends. After a short glimpse at him, she had finally come over to talk to him, though talking hadn't really been possible as she had brushed off his burning questions about the course of events during a fashion show, during which he had been sitting in the audience, silently taking in her beauty, especially in that red bikini outfit, feeling immensely proud of her... and also feeling pity for himself for possibly having ruined the best thing that had ever happened to him.

The large wooden doors next to him opened, and a throng of guests piled out onto the street, yet still no sign of Hanna. He figured she was still busy changing back into her comfy clothes and helping out storing away the plethora of dresses and outfits that had been brought to the place for the models to walk in. He would wait for her, no matter how long. He needed some answers.

Caleb wondered what time it was, but couldn't tell since his clock had broken down weeks ago and he hadn't brought his cell phone tonight, not knowing where to store it in this penguin costume called tuxedo that also belonged to Lucas. He felt terribly misplaced in it, and not just because it didn't really fit as Lucas was so much shorter than him. His own wardrobe consisted of nothing but comfortable t-shirts, sweaters and jeans. But tonight, he had wanted to look his best... for her.

At long last, the flustered voices of a bunch of girls could be heard coming from behind the front doors, and Caleb steadied himself, nervously tucking at his jacket.

Seconds later, Hanna exited the building, accompanied by Spencer, Aria and Emily. There she was, still clad in that tight-fitting red ruffled gown, showing off her feminine curves.

Caleb felt the air leave his lungs as he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he had been the only guy ever who had been allowed to touch her sexy body in an intimate way.

At first, she didn't see him standing by the wall of the building behind her, so she craned her neck, looking in different directions until her eyes caught sight of him. "Hey! There you are," she greeted him in an amicable manner, and her friends quickly said their goodbyes, leaving the two of them alone on the curb.

"Hey!" he managed to breathe and pushed himself free from the cold wall in his back. It wasn't until then that he noticed she wasn't wearing a coat or a jacket, and that her feet were still walking on five-inch heels matching the color of her dress. "What is it with you girls always ignoring the temperatures and wearing inappropriate clothes for a simple walk home?" he approached her with a fat smirk plastered to his face. It had been the first thought to enter his mind upon catching a glance of her, but it really was a universal question that required answers.

"And miss out on a chance to show off this pretty outfit? No way!" Hanna stood rooted to her spot, waiting for him to reach her. She felt the cold creeping up inside of her the moment she had left the building, making her regret her outfit choice and her words — instantaneously. Her arms moved up, crossing in front of her body of their own volition in a futile effort to keep warm.

Caleb didn't think twice before he took off his own jacket and placed it on her shoulders. "Here."

Hanna considered giving it back to him to make a point of her independence, but eventually decided to accept his thoughtful gesture, grateful for the warmth that was now starting to engulf her. "Thank you, Caleb." She looked up into his warm hazel eyes, a comforting counterpoint to the reddish hue that seemed to spread on his cheeks now that he had to be the one feeling cold.

"You're welcome," he said sincerely and watched her slip into his proffered piece of clothing.

"Not just for the jacket, but…," she said, sighing deeply, "… for coming here tonight. I really didn't think that you would. After the way that I'd been treating you lately…"

"What? You thought that I wouldn't show up at this kind of event to support my girlfriend?" Caleb cut in.

Hanna remained silent, and they both looked down at their feet, musing about the heavy weight of his last word.

When their eyes met again, no more words were necessary as their bodies gravitated towards one another. They flung their arms around each other's necks, holding on tightly.

After long moments, Caleb pulled back and broke the silence, "I am so sorry, Hanna." One of his hands clasped her head, unwilling to let go of her so soon. An expression of relief crept upon his features as he saw her nod at him ever so slightly; she obviously didn't have anything to oppose.

His thumb swept over her cheekbone in a sweet caress, and then he gently pulled her head closer again. He squeezed his eyes shut, blocking out the world around him, tremendously glad to be able to hold her like that again.

This time, she was the one loosening their embrace. She looked at him intently, watching his almost pained expression change into a small smile. U Let's go home," Hanna murmured and she didn't care about the ambiguity of her words. Maybe it was the confusion she was left with after the disturbing video message from —A., maybe it was his intoxicating appearance that seemed to cloud her mind. She had never seen him dressed like that and she instantly knew that he'd only done it for her. Damn, he looked outright handsome, totally legit to make a girl lose her stride.

They broke apart, and Caleb extended his hand, interlacing his fingers with hers, which felt so small and so cold. Then, they started walking towards her home together.

"So, where did you get that tux? You didn't hide it in your backpack in all this time, did you?"

A short laugh fell from his lips. "Fuck, no. I borrowed it from Lucas. And I can't wait to take it off as soon as I get... home." The last word had come out like a question, and Hanna wondered whose home he had referred to.

"Are you and Lucas getting along well? How was 'Goonies' the other night?" she brushed his comment aside, trying to get the conversation going between them.

"I couldn't tell if I wanted to. Do you seriously think I was able to keep track of the actions in a movie that Lucas picked out after the way you reacted to the simple gesture of a friend bringing you ice and soup? I kept wondering what you would have done, had I upped the ante by bringing you dessert, too."

Hanna dissolved into an embarrassed giggle, "Depends. What kind of dessert did you have in mind?"

It was one of those cute, high-pitched laughs that always caused a tingle in his stomach. Caleb frantically searched for an answer that would ensure more of those signs from her, telling him that she was feeling comfortable in his presence, relaxed and true to herself – and convincing him once and for all that they were both in a good place again. "Oh, l don't know. A caramel apple — maybe?"

Another giggle. _Bingo_.

"Mrs. Gottesman makes them herself, you know. I can't tell you how many apples I've eaten in the last couple of days. I haven't had that many vitamins in my entire life before I came to Rosewood, I'm surprised my stomach can handle it."

"Well, maybe because they're hidden underneath a sickly sweet layer of sugar? That kind of cancels out your healthy snack," Hanna cautioned him, before sighing and letting out a visible cloud of condensed breath.

It was his turn to chuckle, "Wow, way to make me feel good about eating fruit. And hey, aren't nuts supposedly considered a healthy snack, too?" He shot her a sideways glance in the exact same moment that she turned to look at him, eager to catch a glimpse of his cute smirk that she was sure had accompanied his words. The conversation died down for a moment, and the tension was rising. Caleb grasped her hand a little tighter, still keen on warming her up best that he could.

"Say you would have brought me... um, let me think... a brownie... I probably would have invited you to stay a little longer...," Hanna's voice trailed off.

Caleb stopped dead in his tracks and looked at her. "A brownie?" he tried to stifle a laugh.

"Yeah. I happen to love brownies," Hanna said shyly and then she heard him laugh abruptly, after all. "What's so funny?"

"Hanna, my pockets were filled with brownies that night," he paused to enjoy watching her face light up. "I'd stopped by the Brew to get you that bag of ice and they had just made a fresh badge of 'em. I couldn't resist spending my god-sent money on something as divine as a handful of brownies, fresh from the oven."

The way he was talking about the cake made Hanna long for a piece of it. She thought about the blisters on the soles of her feet and the detour, which they would have to take in order to get to the Brew on their way to her house, and quickly dismissed that idea. Caleb would have to suffice as her sweet treat for now. "Why didn't you care to share those brownies?"

"Didn't think you'd be down for something as trivial as a brownie," he quickly said.

"Well, it was chocolate cake," she said matter-of-factly. "Why would anyone call that trivial?"

"It didn't have any nuts or fudge or anything," he argued. "Just plain old chocolate."

"Perfect," she conceded, staring into his eyes , before she gave him a quick peck on the lips. She could almost imagine the sweet taste of chocolate there.

"Memo received," Caleb chuckled, "Hanna Marin likes the simple stuff. Got it."

"Sometimes, the simple stuff is the best...," she replied looking into his gleaming eyes. All of a sudden, she wanted to grab his hand and run home so that she could kiss him in private, without the prying eyes of –A. watching her every step. "Well, anyway…"

She starting walking again, trying to avoid the ever growing tension the closer they got to her home. "Would you?"

"Huh?" Caleb said absentmindedly, inwardly still busy filing away that new piece of information for later purposes. Eventually, he reclaimed her hand and picked up his pace, noticing how she had started walking a little faster and wondering how the hell she always managed to move around in those high heels.

"If I had asked you to stay, would you have ditched Lucas?" Hanna examined him. Their route was now taking them past the park, which lay in complete darkness, and Hanna's free hand reached for his arm, leaning a little more into his shape. Immediately, she felt more secure.

"Well, your mom came home at that moment and caught us kissing so it really doesn't matter what I would have done two days ago. But...-" He paused thinking about that particular situation and its ramifications, had they had just a little bit more time alone.

He could have sworn at that moment, Lucas' damn tight pants had just shrunk perceptibly by another size.

"But?" she probed him, unawares of his personal momentary loss of body control.

"Fuck, yeah, Hanna. I would have gladly ditched a bunch of teenage boys on the TV screen in favor of us sharing a brownie together!'

"Wait, you said you had pockets full of brownies and you wouldn't have spared an entire piece for me?" she asked with mock indignation.

"Nope. And before you ask, I wouldn't have shared with Lucas either. He's not allowed to eat sugar after eight, let alone eat something that might leave crumbles in his room." He let out a snort before going on, "Besides, I was craving some sort of compensation after the way you had been keeping me at arm's length all day long."

Hanna stopped walking, the dark park to her right side forgotten, experiencing a mild form of déjà vu. Her hand moved from his arm up to his neck, and she pulled his head down, meeting his lips in a soft kiss, followed by another one.

"Did you really mean what you said the other day when you came by to apologize? You know... about you no longer feeling alone and... that you... you know…-"

"Every single word," he hurried to assure her.

She cracked a smile as the realization finally hit her, now that the feeling of deep disappointment and heartache was no longer nagging at her. She knew he was telling her the truth. And seeing that he had learned his lesson, she realized that from that point forward, he would always be truthful to her. It caused a profound contentment to settle upon her. She closed her eyes again and brushed her lips against his, gradually applying more pressure.

Their caress deepened, and Caleb surrendered to her sudden outburst of tenderness. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her flush against him as they continued kissing in the nearly empty street.

"What was that for?" Caleb teased her in between kisses during a much-needed break in order for them both to catch their breath.

"I'm just... compensating," Hanna breathed before her lips touched down on his again. They shared a series of languorous kisses, but when there was a sudden crackle in the scrubs separating the sidewalk from the park just a few yards away, the couple abruptly broke apart, startled.

Caleb checked their surroundings, but except for a lonely cat emerging from the bushes, there was no other living soul around them. "Come on, let's get away from here," he said, steering her away and across the street.

Ten minutes later, Caleb gave up interrogating her about what had happened at the fashion show after she didn't divulge any smidgen of information, claiming that she wasn't in the mood to dive into that subject just yet. Hanna didn't want any thoughts of Alison to ruin her night.

Instead, they had started engaging in giddy chit-chat about Lucas' quirks, meaning no harm whatsoever. Both kept expressing their appreciation for everything their friend had done for their relationship. And just when all kinds of innocuous subjects had been covered, Hanna's house came into view.

The closer they came to arriving at her door, the more Caleb was filled with apprehension. He quickly stepped ahead of her and opened the wooden gate in the white picket fence that marked the beginning of the Marin's property. Placing his hand on the small of her back, he gently escorted her through the opening. As soon as he had closed the door yet again after him, he felt her fingers entwine around his own. The warmth of personal contact in his hand set off a tingling in the pit of his stomach, and he gulped silently when they finally arrived on her doorstep.

Caleb's heartrate was about to go through the roof as he wondered, if she'd allow him inside tonight. What would Hanna be expecting just now? A handshake goodnight? A peck on the cheek? A full kiss on the lips? His idea of what was to come was beginning to make his palms sweat. He sidestepped a bit in the doorway, trying to handle the situation without releasing her hand just yet. If he let go first, then she might take it that he didn't want to hold it any longer, but if he held on then it might be construed that he was being clingy or desperate.

Hanna flashed a quick glance up at him before letting go of his hand in order to rummage through her purse. Eventually, she found her key and turned around to put it in the lock.

What was that — an unsure expression on her face? Was ending their impromptu walking home date making her feel uncomfortable around him?

This should be the moment that he'd been waiting for since he'd laid eyes on her tonight, sitting in the audience, watching her walk the runway — the instant where the definition of their relationship was about to be settled from friendship to something stronger, and, at the same time, even more fragile.

Was that what he was afraid of? Afraid that their friendship would be left in the dust? He still considered himself inexperienced in the relationship department and hoped he could be what Hanna needed, yet this was uncharted territory for him. Hanna Marin would be uncharted territory for any guy. He'd never had to fight for anything as important to him as her love in return.

Hanna's eyes fixed determinedly on the floor, well aware of the boy standing close beside her. Why did she feel like some starry-eyed teenager on her way back from the prom? This was Caleb, for crying out loud, being a charming escort and incredibly handsome date. It had been like a wonderful dream to be able to talk to him again in an unencumbered way.

She remembered the evening _she_ had escorted _him_ home – only it wasn't his house somewhere in another part of Rosewood, but her own basement door. When that door had closed behind him, she knew at that precise moment that she was falling in love with him. She probably had been in love with him for a while but it was only then that she was able to recognize it. Just like she now realized that those feelings for him had never really gone away, despite the way he had betrayed her.

She wanted to feel his arms around her so badly and snuggle up close to his chest. She wanted to feel his lips on hers as they finally surrendered to the electric undercurrents that had been present during the whole walk home.

Now, the time had come to either calmly say goodbye or… express themselves.

She could tell Caleb felt the pressure, too. His jaw had been twitching earlier on their short walk up to her house. Her hand stilled on the doorknob and she willed herself to calm down for a moment. Thinking about his loving smile, she let herself relax as she turned the key in the lock.

This was Caleb; he was supposed to make her feel at ease. Surely, if he kissed her — a shiver of excitement raced up her spine and she sucked in her breath in anticipation — it would be in the same tender fashion she'd come to adore.

Not _too_ tender, Hanna thought dizzily as her imagination pounced on her heart once more. Her door opened and she turned to face him. "Well…," she said casually. Casual was good. She didn't want to appear to be too eager. Though, deep down, her mind was already thinking the dirtiest thoughts. Why did he have to look so devastatingly attractive? Sure, the suit seemed a bit too small for him, and his shoes… Hanna sighed, looking down once again, catching another glimpse of them.

"Yeah," Caleb glanced downwards then met her full in the face, breaking her train of thought. Uncertainty crept into his expression.

"Okay… Look, Caleb…," Hanna felt torn between asking him to come inside and keeping their rekindling romance in check. So far, her mom had caught her kissing Caleb twice, and both times Hanna hadn't told her anything priorly about being in a relationship with him in the first place – or back in a relationship. She really didn't want to hear any comments from her mother, trying to assess their situation, least of all anything like 'I told you so'. Hanna didn't even know what it was that she was feeling right now, but she knew for sure that she didn't want to go on without being able to hold Caleb's hand, or feel his lips on hers. "This was… nice. Really nice," she said quietly.

"Don't knock yourself out, Han." His good-natured smile was somewhat forced, yet he couldn't help but tease her a bit. "But I have to admit, this was by far the most interesting conversation about brownies I've had in a while."

Her large blue eyes stared at him, meeting the smirk in his warm, brown eyes without blinking. Her mind came up with a series of questions she could ask him in return which would allow them to continue their banter from earlier that night, but that would have meant wasting precious alone time before her mom arrived at home. After all, she had a car at her disposal, and Hanna was sure that she would be there in a matter of minutes, knowing she and her friends had virtually been the last people to leave the fashion show.

"If you say the word brownie one more time, I'm gonna-"

She didn't get any farther. Caleb's sultry kiss landed on her mouth, cutting her off forcefully, and causing all of her inhibitions to dissipate.

When the kiss had ended, he looked at her with a wistful expression. "So… are we good?"

Hanna thought about his question for a long moment before she answered it with another passionate kiss. "Yeah, we're good."

"Do you believe me? I mean… I swear I didn't rat you out or anything and I didn't take any of Jenna's money. Do you want the log of my cell phone? Because I can prove it to you. I keep records of my business conversations. And that's all it was to me before I got to know you better."

"No, no! I really don't want to hear Jenna's voice right now," Hanna assured him quickly. "And I believe you."

He pulled her into his arms, and Hanna snuggled up to his chest, just like she had imagined doing it minutes before. She closed her eyes, allowing the image of his pleading gaze to replay in her mind over and over again. How could she ever have doubted his soulful eyes?

"Don't ever do that again," she mumbled into the collar of his crisp white shirt.

Caleb vigorously shook his head, "I promise I'll never do anything that stupid ever again." He kept holding her closely, benefitting from the warmth she was exuding.

This was all he had needed her to say tonight. There were other things he'd been wanting to do with her in order to try and prove his love, but he knew he would have to progress slowly. After all, Hanna Marin was still a princess who wanted to be courted and captured by a guy.

While they stood embracing each other, once and again sharing series of kisses, an idea formed in his head.

Caleb shifted in her arms and gently nudged her in the direction of the opened front door. "Look, it's getting late. You should get inside before your mom sees us here together. I don't think she likes me very much right now."

Signs of disappointment crept upon her features as she obliged and slowly stepped into her house. She knew he was just being respectful. After all, she had been the one keeping him at bay for weeks. But while until two days ago she wouldn't even have considered keeping up Caleb's fake hug in front of Lucas and his date, she didn't like it at all at that very moment that he was being so shy around her.

However, when a car passed by her house, she was suddenly reminded of the fact that her mother would probably be home any minute and that it would be better for both of them to keep their desire in check. Nothing wrong with taking things slowly, she thought, trying to persuade herself in order to cope with the situation.

Standing in the doorway, Hanna turned around and quickly took off Caleb's jacket and handed it back to him. After watching him put it on, she whispered, "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight," Caleb muttered. He quickly kissed her one more time before he turned on his heels and started walking away.

 _to be continued…_

* * *

 ** _This is my attempt to fill another void left by the PLL writers. Review?_**


	2. part II

**part II**

* * *

The Marin's house at 34 Turning Leaf Lane was silent. In one of the rooms upstairs, Hanna sat on her bed clad only in an old t-shirt of Caleb's. She ran her hands over the thin gray material covering her upper body. It was soft from years of washing and wearing, and was now one of her favorite things to sleep in. It made her think of Caleb, and she knew that he loved the fact that she had stolen it from him the morning when she had woken up next to him in a tent in order to feel close to him in those nights that they wouldn't be able to spend together. She had almost thrown it out in the garbage after their recent breakup. But now, she was glad that she had kept it.

She got up and made a beeline towards her bedroom window. After opening it to let in some fresh air, she stood there for a moment, looking outside. It had become a bit of a habit to check her surroundings for any signs of —A. When she had made sure that there was nothing suspicious going on outside, she stepped away from the window. Her gaze fell on the blinking icon on the display of her cell phone, which was lying on her desk. Someone must have left her a voicemail while she had been taking a shower a few minutes ago.

Holding the receiver against her ear with a shaky hand, Hanna dialed up her mailbox and nervously started crossing her room. It wasn't long before relief washed over her when she heard the first tunes of her mother's voice, sounding slightly slurred.

 _Hanna, this is your mom calling. I hope you've arrived home safely with Aria. I'm just calling to let you know that I sent your_ _father back to his own home. It's a long story, I'll tell you tomorrow. Anyway, I let Ella, Pam and Veronica talk me into joining them for a drink or two at a nearby wine bar. Please, don't wait up for_ _me._

There was a short pause and Hanna could hear some low voices chatting in the background, which she recognized as coming from Aria's and Spencer's mothers. Then, she heard her own mom speak again.

 _And don't wait up for me, you have school tomorrow. Goodnight!_

Hanna heard the voices in the background fail to suppress giggling loudly while Mrs. Marin was still on the phone. After she had hung up, Hanna stood in the doorway of her room with the cell phone clutched in her hands, looking out into the scarcely lit hallway on the second floor of her home. Her eyes fixated on the door of the room next to hers, prompting her to feel a hint of regret. She knew that the room behind it was empty. It wasn't that long ago that Caleb had been sleeping in there with her mother's permission.

She would have given anything to be able to turn back the time so that she could simply walk over to the guest room, knock on the door and leap into Caleb's arms, knowing now that her mom won't turn in any time soon. Hanna tried calling his phone, but to her dismay, there was no answer.

Why couldn't her mom have called earlier? She would have asked Caleb to stay over. Hanna scratched that thought again. She wouldn't have asked. She would have simply pulled him inside just like she had done two days ago.

A dreamy expression appeared on her face as she reminisced about that evening again. Something inside of her had seemed to snap after she had been so keen about keeping him at bay for a while. After Caleb had brought her ice and Chinese takeout for dinner and just been wanting to leave her house, she had taken the initiative and surrendered to her lingering feelings for him by planting her lips on his, thereby surprising both him and herself. It had been the greatest feeling, ranking very closely behind the very first kiss that they had shared only a few weeks ago.

On that night, Hanna had felt a need, a longing, to be with him again... to feel closer to him again... more intimately. To cement their bond and their... love?

As she had taken charge then, she found herself no longer caring about his shenanigans with Jenna Cavanaugh and she was no longer afraid of being disappointed by him. In the weeks following the day she had found out about his betrayal, he had been nothing but supportive of her actions, apologizing to her, showing her he'd even settle for being there as her friend only.

But after they had made up, she had wanted Caleb. Bad. His kisses had stirred a longing deep inside of her, something she had experienced just once before. He had been the first boy she'd ever had sex with, and it still annoyed her that they had only gotten around to doing it that one time before the burgeoning relationship had already come to an end due to his stupid business deal with her archenemy.

Unfortunately, her mom had interrupted them before she could ask Caleb to skip his movie date with Lucas in order to stay with her a little longer. In all this time, she'd had mixed feelings about his respectful distance, but tonight... tonight she wished he would have dropped the veneer attitude. He even seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, saying his goodbyes, and didn't even look back when he walked away from her house.

Hanna turned and walked back to her bed where she sat down again and put her phone on the night table next to her. She shortly considered calling him again, just to hear his voice one more time before calling it a day.

She'd had the best time with him, simply walking home together with their fingers entwined. Caleb had made her laugh again and again, so much so that she had managed to forget about the fact that her feet had been hurting as hell in her five-inch heels during the fifteen-minute walk home.

Hanna had watched his body language carefully after they had arrived on her doorstep, waiting to see how far he would take things. But Caleb had kept himself on a tight leash, keeping a firm grip on his control. She knew that he just didn't want to make any more mistakes by doing anything that might offend or upset her.

Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to break that leash. She was happy to have him back in her life, happy he hadn't gotten on that bus to Arizona. But he was living with their friend Lucas now, and was no longer crashing in the guest room of her own house. It would take a little bit more effort to get intimate with him again.

And she knew she couldn't pretend to go camping with one of her friends every weekend. Her mom could not be fooled.

Today would have been the perfect opportunity.

Hanna stared down her phone, wishing that Caleb hadn't gone to sleep already and that he would call her back any minute. She virtually jerked with terror when the phone suddenly started ringing on the night table. She answered on the second ring, feeling giddy upon reading the name of the caller on the display. "Hey!"

"Hey… it's me," the soft voice came on the other end of the line.

"Hey," she said again, smiling. "I was just thinking about you."

"You were? Good things, I hope."

"Very good. I was just getting into bed and…," she stood up and rearranged the pillows on her bed, tossing some of them mindlessly to the ground, "I'm wearing your t-shirt. You know, the gray one?" Then, she slid under the covers and propped herself up against the headboard, true to her word.

Caleb's voice dropped appreciatively to match the gentle seductiveness in hers. "I like that t-shirt on you. Do you think you're ever going to wear it to bed when we're together?"

Hanna giggled a little, knowing full well what her "little girl" voice did to Caleb and his hormones. "Actually, I wasn't planning on wearing anything if we ever get to be in a bed together again. I figured you'd keep me warm instead." She stilled and bit down on her lower lip, hoping it was enough to make him ask if he could come back over.

Caleb gave a little moan. "Han…"

"What?" she said with a teasing innocence. "You don't want to feel me next to you?"

"I can't wait to feel you skin to skin again, babe… I want to feel every part of you... In fact, before, when we were standing on your doorstep, I almost asked you if I could come inside so that we could rekindle things on a deeper level." Caleb's voice caused Hanna to shiver slightly.

Hanna swallowed. The distance of the phone line between them had made her feel very bold about teasing him, but knowing that he could be by her house within ten minutes' time, if he wanted to, five if he took his bike, also made her feel like she was treading a thin line. She gathered herself together before answering. "Then… why didn't you?"

"Didn't know if you'd have let me and I couldn't deal with being rejected by anyone ever again." Caleb's voice had taken on a sad undertone. "Especially you."

For a moment, there was silence on both ends of the line. "So… babe? That's a new one," she teased, changing the subject. "Is that a downgrade from 'princess' or an upgrade?" Hanna could almost sense he was smiling into his phone now.

"Do you like it?" he replied after a beat.

"From you? Yeah… I do, actually," Hanna flirted. "Have you ever called anyone else that?"

Caleb answered immediately. "Nope… just you," it wasn't until then that he thought about the term of endearment that had accidentally slipped from his mouth. How could he tell her that the word only seemed to pop into his mind whenever he was fantasizing about being with Hanna intimately? It was certainly not a word he would ever use in public. But when it was just the two of them, it simply seemed to… fit. "You're the first," he eventually added, his voice soft and low. "In so many things, you're kind of my first, too, you know."

Hanna giggled again, flushing a bit over the intense edge to his voice. "So are you in bed, too?" she finally asked, if for no other reason than to get them talking again.

His response surprised her. "Why? Do you want me to come over and tuck you in?"

Hanna laughed. "Are you offering?" she said with a flirtatious grin.

"Depends," he replied, equally flirty. "Would you let me in?"

"If I'm not mistaken, you still own the key to our house. So basically, you could let yourself in." She laughed, but Caleb didn't respond. "Caleb?"

"Yes?"

Hanna shrieked and dropped her phone. She quickly raised her eyes from where the phone had fallen down on the carpet towards the door of her bedroom and swallowed. "Wow… that was fast."

Caleb grinned and stepped inside. "Well, I took a little walk after we'd said goodbye… ran some errands, you know."

"We said goodbye about an hour ago, Caleb. Where the hell did you walk in that outfit?" Hanna curiously intervened, extending an arm to gesture at his form-fitted tuxedo in which he was looking so devilishly handsome before her once-over ended at his feet… and his change of footwear. Gazing down at his familiar scuffed Doc Martens, she couldn't help herself and started laughing out loud. "Your errand?"

"I went home to Lucas' to change into these," Caleb explained, quickly looking down at the blatant mismatch. He was dimly aware of it, but he didn't care. Just like he didn't care that, in other people's eyes, he and Hanna seemed to be a mismatch. To him, she seemed like a perfect fit… in every possible way. "Then, I spent half an hour walking through the town. I needed to… cool down a little… you know."

Hanna watched him as he stood in the middle of her room, nervously shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans.

"And then, I walked all the way back here and waited across the street, Watching your silhouette move behind the window... thinking about climbing up here because I needed to see you. But I didn't want to scare you into thinking there's a perverted creep outside of your bedroom, so I decided to... let myself in the less conspicuous way." He paused, looking at her with Uncertainty. missed you."

"You've only been gone for an hour," Hanna teased him and picked up the phone before she put it back on her night table. Then, she gazed up at him and saw him smile at her. Did he know what that smile was doing to her? "l missed you, too," she whispered.

"So much," Caleb murmured before he took two large steps towards her bed and sat down on the edge. "Not just tonight... all this time that I didn't get to do this..." He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, or this..." His lips trailed further to her mouth, brushing the softest kiss against her lips. "Or... this he cupped her face with his hands and tilted his head before connecting their lips again, applying gentle pressure as he playfully suckled at her upper lip.

Hanna surrendered to his kisses, inwardly scolding herself for being resentful enough to wait that long to make up with him again, thereby missing out on so many chances for them to do... this. She felt Caleb's tongue nudge against hers.

When the kiss ended, they both remained silent for a moment, steadying their breaths and realizing that they were thinking the exact same thing. Caleb was first to find his voice again, "So... I take it your mom isn't home yet?"

"Why? How would you know?" Hanna asked despite the sudden epiphany that he had probably noticed upon entering her house. She was struggling to think conscious thoughts; it wasn't an easy task to do with his hand still caressing her jawline and his thumb tracing the outline of her lips.

"l saw her and a couple of other moms standing outside Winston's Bar about fifteen minutes ago, They were giggling like twelve-year-old school girls, Han. I've never seen your mom or Mrs. Montgomery drunk before," he said, grinning. "l almost felt compelled to watch them so that I'd have something to take her up on in school the next time she talks me down for not having done my homework."

"But then you wouldn't have been able to do this," Hanna mumbled, leaning her head against his palm with her eyes closed in a kind of foreshadowing reverie.

Caleb cleared his throat, misreading her signals and picking up again where they had ended their phone call. "So... princess, you need to be tucked in, I see?"

Hanna laughed as she removed his hands from her face, deciding within a split second to play along with him. "Uh-huh. But see, I'm kind of keyed up here. Maybe you should tell me a story to... set the mood right, you know."

"Um, how about the one where the prince comes to the small town to study earthly algebra and classic English lit at the ugliest castle in all the land, only to have his heart stolen by the beautiful but headstrong princess of the Rosewood Kingdom?"

Hanna met him halfway as he leaned in for another kiss. "That one sounds good," she replied against his mouth. "Do they live happily ever after?" She kissed him, softly at first, then with a brief burst of passion before pulling back, awaiting his answer.

Caleb made a quiet sound of pleasure and licked the moisture she had left on his lips. "Oh, totally. Absolutely." His eyes darkened slightly as he untangled his hands from where she was holding them on her lap, and rubbed them over her thighs, which were still covered by her blanket. He moved in once more for a kiss, this time imparting a little more enthusiasm on her lips. When he pulled back after a long moment, he was pleased to see Hanna's eyes had darkened too, and she was breathing a bit more heavily. He let his eyes roam over her body. It was hidden almost completely by the covers and his t-shirt, but the mounds and curves that were under them gave more than a hint as to what was underneath.

Caleb considered pulling the covers away from her when Hanna surprised him with her next statement. "You're still wearing the suit," she noted, a little breathless.

He blinked as he looked down on his black formal wear. "Uh, really? What gave me away?" He sat there, kind of dumbfounded, unable to tell why she had pointed it out to him.

"I mean, there's nothing wrong with it...," Hanna tried to explain, feeling awkward and terribly underdressed next to him. "You look really hot in it. I mean..." She paused, feeling the embarrassed blush creep upon her cheeks. "You look like you're hot... and... bothered."

Caleb sighed, "Well, for one, I don't normally wear a tux with a button-down shirt and a tank top underneath. All three combined and in size SMALL are a real pain in the ass," he told her. "Secondly, I did an awful lot of walking in it tonight, so I am definitely warmed up now. And thirdly...," he quickly bit his lip, hesitating before ploughing on with a bold move, "l was planning on reclaiming that shirt of mine that you're wearing... like... right now."

Hanna gasped slightly at the change in his voice which had started to sound hoarse and seductive. His hands tightened on her covered thighs, and he brought his mouth closer to hers once more. "But then I'd have nothing to wear and I'd get cold," she whispered as she submitted to another soul shattering kiss.

"l'd warm you up...," he murmured as he feathered wet kisses down her neck, then up to her ear. "It's all part of the tucking in package."

She purred as Caleb continued his assault on her sensitive skin. He felt so good, and he had obviously missed kissing her just as much as she had. It wasn't long before they had worked their way down onto the bed, with Caleb gradually resting more of his weight on top of her. She could feel the strain of his body even through the blanket between them and she could easily tell that he was aroused. As his lips continued caressing her neck, Hanna wound her fingers through his hair. "Wow," she sighed breathlessly, "you really know how to tuck a girl in."

Caleb laughed as he sucked gently on her earlobe. In the next second, they both heard the low noise of ripping material, prompting them to hold still immediately. "0k, I should take off these pants now before they tear up and before I have some unpleasant explaining to do to Lucas."

His words of insinuation hung in the air, causing them each to swallow visibly.

"Caleb-" Hanna started, stalling.

At the sound of her voice, Caleb pulled back, suddenly uncertain once more. "Sorry!" he said, shaking his head as if to will away his inappropriate thoughts. "I didn't mean anything by that. I know you want to take things slowly this time."

Now, she was the one shaking her head vigorously. "No, I never said anything like that."

Before Hanna could stop him, however, Caleb reluctantly pushed himself off of her. His skin was flushed and he was breathing raggedly, and Hanna watched as he struggled to regain control of his body.

She hadn't meant to stop him there when she had said his name. If he had only let her go on speaking... then they wouldn't have had to deal with any misgivings that apparently stood between them.

A feeling of disappointment washed over her as she saw him compose himself. She had loved it when he had taken control like that, when he let himself lose the restraint he'd had to practice well enough during the past weeks in which he was fighting to win back her trust' Clearly, he just didn't want to make another mistake by making her feel uncomfortable or pushing her. The fact that she could arouse him so much that he could possibly forget about it after all made her feel sexy and powerful... yet safe at the same time.

What was it about this guy that made all her fears fly out the window? When he was kissing her, touching her... god, just breathing there beside her, she felt alive and special.

Hanna studied Caleb sitting next to her on the bed. He was clearly turned on, she thought. She let her eyes roam to the front of his black tuxedo pants and shivered. The bulge that she could vaguely feel through the covers was not so vague in this position. Her devilish streak wrestled for control of her mind as she wondered just how much it would take to make Caleb lose his restraint for good...

Allowing for the tension to dissipate, she rubbed a hand over his back in an affectionate manner. "So, are you gonna finish tucking me in now?" she suggested.

Caleb looked over at her and smiled, "What? You still can't manage to fall sleep like this?" he teased.

"Can you?" she teased back. "Besides, I just remembered that I booked the package with a back rub." She flopped over to her side and scooted towards the middle of the bed, lying down on her stomach.

Caleb hesitated, torn. "Ahhh... I don't know."

She turned her head to face him. "Oh, come on. When I was younger, having my back rubbed would always calm me down. Are you in?"

When he still hesitated, she pretended to pout. "Gee, ask someone to tuck you in and they won't help..."

He laughed at her. "Alright," he agreed eventually, accepting the fact that she was the one suggesting ambivalent back rubs that required touching her naked body with his bare hands now. Caleb shifted on the mattress, half sitting, half lying next to her, and began to massage her back with his top hand.

Hanna cooed a little in pleasure, then frowned. "Can you use both hands?"

Caleb smiled. "My, my... Aren't we a spoilt little princess?" he teased her. Moving closer, he started to straddle her legs, but hesitated again, inhaling deeply.

When she couldn't feel his hands on her skin anymore, Hanna turned around once again.

She looked at him with an expression that made him shudder. Why did he suddenly feel like this innocent request was anything but? He began working with both hands, rubbing her shoulders and upper back with long strokes through her... meaning his... shirt.

Hanna sighed in pleasure, a sound that seemed to travel right through his stomach and move lower. Touching her like this, knowing that a blanket and a t-shirt — one of his t-shirts, no less — was all that separated them... it made him feel heady. As did the thought that she didn't seem to be in any kind of hurry to get him out of the house before her mom would come back home again…

The blanket reached up to her lower back, and Caleb was massaging all that was above it. It felt wonderful, but it still wasn't what Hanna wanted. "Can you go lower?" she asked, pushing the blanket down a bit.

Caleb complied, his mind warring with his body over how far she had meant to take this. At that moment, the decision was made for him as he shifted his weight and Hanna managed to push the blanket below her hips. The gray t-shirt she was wearing was long enough to reach her thighs when she was standing, but now, lying in bed, it hardly reached beyond her waist. And there, peeking out from underneath, was a pair of black satin panties.

It was all he needed to see in order to come undone. He shivered as a wave of hot desire coursed through him. The bunched up shirt revealed an inch or so of her smooth back, but it was the edge of her panties that riveted his eyes in place. He'd seen her naked once before, but still the sight in front of him caused his heartbeat to increase dramatically. Caleb found himself caressing Hanna's back absentmindedly, while trying to will the bulge in his own underwear to stop throbbing so insistently.

Whether Hanna knew what she was doing to him, he couldn't tell. He kept focusing on her body. "Hanna," he whispered, no longer able to contain himself, "you're so beautiful." There was no more hesitation as he let his hands rub across her lower back, pushing the hem of the t-shirt up as he did so. He massaged deeply and was rewarded as Hanna moaned and rotated her hips against him.

Caleb groaned in kind as the softness of her bottom circled against his testicles. Purely on a whim, he lowered his body, craving a counter pressure against the ache that had been building since he'd arrived.

Hanna gasped as she felt his hard ridge press against her butt, and she raised her hips to meet him. She still wasn't that familiar with the kind of warmth and wetness she was feeling in her lower body, but she knew by instinct that it called out for far more than just a back rub. She moaned again when she felt him cover the newly exposed skin on her back with wet kisses, his tongue tracing patterns on her shoulder blades as she squirmed with delight.

No longer able to resist, Hanna began to turn over, wanting to face him. Caleb lifted himself up slightly, allowing her to turn beneath him. As Hanna flipped over to her back, she stared into the eyes of the boy she was hopelessly in love with, the boy that had been her first and that she wished would finally lie down on top of her, naked.

His eyes were almost black with desire and his breath was coming hard and fast. Hanna closed her eyes and arched her back as Caleb pushed her t-shirt up to her neck and over her head, revealing her breasts to him at long last. "Oh, god...," he murmured.

At his husky words, Hanna opened her eyes and met his gaze. "You should take off your clothes if you want to put on that t-shirt now," she said, her eyes traveling down from his face to the gray material that was balled up in his hands.

Caleb followed her eyes and did the only thing he could think of at the moment: He lunged out and tossed the cotton ball in the direction of her closet. "Nah, you can keep it. It looks better on you anyway." Then, he peeled off his jacket and laid it down on the carpet, before Hanna helped him to unbutton his shirt with hands that were trembling just as much as his own. Eventually, he pulled the tank top over his head and after shedding his pants and socks, he dropped down on the bed next to her.

When they were finally face to face, Caleb wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. His top hand reached up to cup her breast, and they each gasped at the intimate contact. Hanna sought out his mouth. "I'm so glad you didn't go to Arizona after all," she whispered against his lips. "I would have missed you so much."

She let her hand wander over his chest, then down the side of his waist. Next, her hand traveled further over his hip, then cupped his firm backside through the material of his boxers.

With a moan, Caleb pressed his pelvis into hers, rolling them over and pushing her more deeply into the bed. "Fuck, Hanna," he gasped, "I want you so much. If you'd rather stop, tell me now…"

"Do you want to stop?" she managed to gasp in response.

"No! God, no. I've been wanting to do this with you again ever since our first time in the tent. Too bad we were decent enough to get up in time to drive home so that we wouldn't miss first period."

His husky words caused Hanna to shudder underneath him. "I don't want you to stop, Caleb–" Her response was cut off as Caleb instantly captured her mouth in a passionate kiss. The covers were pushed out of the way as the last of their restraint vanished.

Their hands roamed everywhere, and Hanna reached for his underwear and pulled it down, thereby revealing his throbbing erection.

Caleb helped her remove her own panties. Then, she quickly reached for the drawer of her night table. Ignoring Caleb's surprised reaction at the reveal of what she had apparently been storing in her room for a while, she hurried to tear open the wrapper of a condom before handing it to him.

Caleb sheathed himself at record speed, needing to feel her from inside within an instant.

Then, Hanna climbed on top of him, straddling his thighs. Her eyes were heavy-lidded with lust and eager anticipation as she lowered her body over his and captured Caleb's mouth in a deep kiss.

He let his hands wander over her now bare back, then between them to caress her breasts. His breath was becoming labored as she rocked herself against his erection. He met her eyes. "You're in control, babe," he whispered, sensing a tiny bit of hesitation on her part now that they both knew what was coming next. "It's up to you."

Hanna lifted her hips and centered herself over him. "Just shut up, Caleb," she said.

"Sorry! Am I allowed to breathe?" Caleb muttered before he groaned deep in his throat as she lowered herself around him, "Holy shit!" he managed to say, thus ending their teasing game once and for all.

Caleb pulled her down to him as they began to rock against each other. His hands frantically rubbed her back, her bottom, her thighs, as if he were trying to experience as much of her for as long as he could. He lifted his head, straining to kiss her neck, her chest, then the valley between her breasts. As her breasts rubbed against his cheeks, he turned his head to one side and, by instinct, found a nipple to suckle. Hanna's cries of pleasure only spurred him to suck harder each time he was sheathed fully within her.

It wasn't long before he felt the tension in his groin reach the breaking point. Lifting his hips in rhythm with hers, he began to thrust more deeply inside of her, seeking the release that he desperately craved. Hanna's moans sent him over the edge, and his orgasm came crashing down around him in a flurry of loud groans.

As Caleb emptied himself, his head fell back against the bed and he wrapped his arms around her waist, trying to prolong the contact of their lower bodies for as long as possible. As Hanna buried her head in his shoulder, he heard her cry out and pant and twitch above him.

Caleb enveloped her in a tight hug, holding on to her as if he were afraid they could both fall off the bed due to the frenzied movements of her body. Only when Hanna slowed down above him and relaxed against his chest did he loosen his hold. He smoothed his palm over the back of her head in a soothing gesture. "Fuck, that was great! Where did you learn those moves?"

Hanna took a deep breath and released it slowly, trying to calm her racing heart. She snuggled up against him and nuzzled her nose and lips into the curve of his neck, huffing, "l may have read a few things."

They both laughed, feeling the tension slowly dissipate. "Whoa, you've gotta show me your reading requirements, I might get tempted to actually read one from that list," Caleb joked.

"It wasn't on the list," she told him, a shy smile playing upon her lips. "My mom has this book hidden in her closet. I found it recently when I was rifling through her scarves and mittens looking for the pashmina she'd borrowed from me for Thanksgiving."

Caleb untangled himself from their cuddly position and got up to dispose of his condom. After he'd left her alone to head to the bathroom, Hanna quickly typed out a text for her mom.

Hey mom, Aria brought me home safely and I'm turning in now. Please take a cab home! XOXO Han

She put it back on her night table and got up from the bed in order to put on her underwear. Then, she crossed the room and, arriving at her closet, she picked up Caleb's t-shirt.

When Caleb reappeared in the doorframe, wearing nothing but his boxers, she awkwardly looked down at the bunched up gray material in her hands. She had intended to put the shirt back on again, but seeing he apparently had no other option than to put on Lucas' uncomfortably tight button-down shirt, she extended her hand and held out the t-shirt for him. "Here, you can borrow it from me."

He frowned at her, taking the cotton piece of clothing from her and waiting to see if she was being serious or trying to take him for a ride. After a beat, and when she remained mum, he said, "Wow, you're lending me my own shirt. Guess you're not that spoilt after all, huh?"

" You'd rather steal a t-shirt from my wardrobe so that we're even?" Hanna teased him. Unseeingly, she pulled a random shirt out of her closet and threw it at him. It was a virulently pink tank top with sequins and a colorful print of some Disney princess on the front. Noticing her embarrassing choice of outfit, she quickly plucked it from his hands and tossed it back into the closet. "Ok, not that one, apparently."

She turned around to examine the contents of her closet, eventually handing him an oversized shirt from way in the back, dating back to her days as 'Hefty Hanna'.

"Han? Stop it." Caleb muttered silently as he crossed the distance between them and took the shirt from her, letting it drop down to the ground. "You can keep my shirt, I have another one just like it. Ok?" He pulled her into his arms, keen on feeling her skin-to-skin one more time before the impending return of Hanna's mother would force him to sneak out of the house quickly. She felt so tiny in his arms when she wasn't wearing her high-heels. He brushed a soothing kiss against her forehead.

"I'm not spoilt, I just wanna wear it when you're not around and have your smell here with me," Hanna felt prompted to explain, adding with a smirk on her face, "But first you'll have to wear it again because it doesn't really smell like you anymore. I've worn this every night since you came to apologize to me."

Caleb lowered his head to meet her lips, sharing some open-mouthed kisses with her. Moments later, Hanna let go of him and grabbed the fiercely fought over t-shirt from him. She unfolded it and appreciatively pulled it over his head, smoothing the material across his chest. A final kiss on the lips sealed their deal. Then, she lifted her oversized t-shirt from the floor and put it on.

"Alright," he said while turning around to search for his pants, prompting Hanna to think he was about to go home. She quickly put her hand on his arm, stilling his movements. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"Han, your mom will probably be here any minute. I don't want you to get into trouble if she sees me hanging out in your room at night, looking like this." He gestured at his exposed lower body with his free arm. "I think I should be going now.

"No, no. No need to worry. My mom's been out drinking with the other moms a couple of times before. You said you saw them at Winston's, right?"

"Uh, yeah."

She scoffed in reaction, "Trust me, she won't be back for at least another hour or so."

Seeing her shining face, Caleb felt coaxed into staying. He moved backwards, pulling Hanna along with him until his backside bumped into her bed. "In that case…," he started, "l think we can try something new."

Hanna felt her cheeks blush furiously, thinking about his possibly indecent intentions. Maybe he'd read some books, too?

But he didn't lie down on the bed with her. Instead, he motioned for her to settle back into the pillows at the headboard, and she complied, halting. Then, he rounded the bed to where he had put his jacket earlier. Hanna watched him curiously as he held up the jacket and dug his hand into its baggy pockets, one after the other.

A broad smile spread on his face as he presented her the items that had been stashed away in there. In his hands, he was holding out two brownies to her, each neatly packed in saran wrap. Caleb instantly saw her face light up and enjoyed the sound of her irresistible laugh.

"Are you desperate to compensate again?" she poked fun at him. Then, she skidded to one side of the bed to make room for him.

"I was until about an hour ago," Caleb told her as he climbed on the bed and got under the covers with her while skillfully balancing the two pieces of chocolate cake in his hands. "But I think we've done some pretty amazing compensation there just now. I still don't think we've made good for all the weeks that we spent apart, but it's definitely a start."

When he had sat down next to her, he quickly unwrapped one of the sweet treats and held it out for her so that she could take a bite. He was met with an expression of mock bewilderment on her face.

"Seriously? I still don't get to have a whole brownie to myself?" she asked, dumbfounded. "There's two brownies… You bought two brownies, I think I deserve an entire brownie after what you've done," she rambled on.

"Ok, if you say the word brownie one more time…" Caleb mimicked her before his lips came crashing down on her. "I was just kidding. Here, you can have it," he gave her the first piece and proceeded to unwrap the second one.

They both sat quietly and fed each other. When the last bites had been devoured, Caleb turned sideways, cupping her face and coaxing her to lift her head. "Come here," he murmured as he brought her in for a slow, deep kiss.

Several kisses later, Hanna shifted on the mattress and put her head on his thigh. She tried stifling a yawn, but to no avail. Caleb laughed. "Did I tire you out?"

"Mmm," Hanna replied with a sleepy giggle, "well, you were supposed to be tucking me in."

"How'd I do?"

"I can't tell. You're not done yet," she said, closing her eyes and snuggling up closer to him.

"Han, as much as I want to… believe me, I do… I really can't stay all night," Caleb said, his voice full of regret. "I mean, Mrs. Gottesman was nice enough to let me stay, but I don't wanna overstay my welcome by disrespecting her house rules.

Hanna opened her eyes to glance up at him, "Yeah, I get that." Another yawn slipped from her lips. "Could you at least stay until I've fallen asleep? Please? I don't like being all alone in the house at night time."

He nodded his understanding, "Ok, I'll stay here for a little while longer." He put one of her smaller pillows behind his head and tried making himself more comfortable with Hanna pinning him down to the mattress in a sitting position.

Caleb watched her for long moments as he stroked over her head, hearing her breath slowly even out, feeling her body grow heavier as the gentle caress lulled her to sleep. He waited a few more minutes before he eased out of her embrace and got up from the bed, careful not to wake her.

Standing in the middle of her room, his gaze traveled over her shape, or at least, the few parts of her that were peeking out from under the covers. He felt his own tiredness filtering through, but he found it oddly satisfying to just watch her sleep peacefully.

In a few seconds, he would have to sneak out of her house like she had been nothing but his booty call in the night.

In a few seconds, he would have to return her key to the bottom of the flowerpot with the begonia that had withered a long time ago… and go sleep _alone_ in the bottom bunk in a room full of toys.

He didn't like having to leave Hanna in the middle of the night, by no means. But for now, these were the circumstances that they had to come to terms with.

He had been given a second chance, and by god, he would prove to her that it was worthwhile, and that was all that mattered to him at the very moment. Everything else would fall into place eventually, of that he was certain.

Later, as he was laying in his bed, listening to the sounds of Lucas snoring every once in a while, he slowly drifted off to sleep as well, silently promising to hold onto his last conscious thought: to never let her go again.

 **THE END**


End file.
